Saturday, 25 June 2016

There is nothing that is more pleasant than cold, sweet creamy ice cream on your palate on a hot -hot day.It instantly cools you down and gives a boost of energy .

But sadly,it also contains lots of empty calories because it contains about 12-24% fat and many artificial colours and artificial flavours to give it that irresistible appeal .Also my little one gets a sore throat every time he has ice cream .So this time ,we decided to try a "Gelato " at the "Gelato Italiano" in the Great India Place Mall ,Noida .Gelato Italiano is one of the pioneer brands of Gelatos in India.

What is a Gelato?

Gelato is Italy’s version of ice cream,with three major differences :

Firstly,a gelato has much less butterfat than ice cream’s typical 18 to 26 percent.

Because of the lower butterfat percentage, gelato is less solidly frozen than ice cream and melts in the mouth faster thus hitting the taste buds immediately.

Secondly,the gelato has a much higher density than ice cream. Ice cream is produced by mixing cream, milk and sugar, then adding air because adding air nearly doubles the quantity of the ice cream. But, it cuts their quality in half.

In case of the gelato since no air is added the result is a higher quality dessert with a richer, creamier taste.

Thirdly,though a frozen dessert,gelato is served slightly warmer than ice cream. A gelato is served 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than ice cream. Because it is less solidly frozen, gelato’s taste is further enhanced as it melts in the mouth faster.Also this ensures that sensitive teeth and throats tolerate it better.

They have four classifications of the Gelatos at Gelato Italiano based on the ingredients used

Popular Gelatos (Rs 49/- per scoop/spatula )

Black Currant

Butterscotch

Swiss Chocolate

Cotton Candy

Vanilla Choco Chip

Pink Guava

Strawberry Cream

Premium Gelatos (Rs 79/- per scoop )

Choco Crunch

Fruit N Nut Overload

Custard Apple

New York Cheesecake

Sorbet

Vanilla Fudge Brownie

Bubble Gum

Supreme Gelatos (Rs 89/- per scoop )

Royal Kulfie

Tiramisu

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Gelato Rocher

Mango Tango

Forrest Berry Cheesecake

Triple Chocolate

Ultimate Gelatos (Rs 99/- per scoop )

Mango Kulfi

Belgian Chocolate

Diet lite Chocolate

Madagascar Fine Chocolate

Yogurt Wildberry

Yogurt Blueberry

Strawberry Cheesecake

They also offer diet lite sugar free options and fat free sorbets and a choice of waffle cones and chocolate cones .

Mr. Pradeep who was the host and server for the evening was very courteous and helpful and he informed me that their hot selling,most popular specialities are Swiss Chocolate ,New York Cheesecake,Choco Crunch ,Madagascar Fine Chocolate ,Yoghurt Wildberry and Royal Kulfi .

Here are the gelatos that me and my family had and enjoyed :

Popular Butterscotch Gelato

Swiss Chocolate Gelato which is sweeter than the Belgian Chocolate

Bubble Gum Gelato

"Flavor of the day " Gelato had a refreshing fruit flavour with yummy pieces of fruit candy

Vanilla Fudge Brownie Gelato

FINAL VERDICT - It's vegetarian , contains much less fat , has no added flavors and preservatives .What more can I ask in a dessert ?

Only drawback- since it is not pumped with air for volume, you may find it much denser in texture than ice cream and also slightly sweeter .

The colours are all natural , hence you will not find the popping colours of your regular ice creams .

The taste is amazing and hits you the moment you tuck it in .Plus it is packed with goodness of real ingredients .

I rate it a 4.5/5 .

One evening was not enough , I want to try out all the flavours .Which means I shall definitely be revisiting soon and probably will give up ice cream all together .